Henry mason



H. MASON. GARMENT POCKET.

(No Model.)

Patented July 11, 1893.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY MASON, OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY.

GARMENT-POCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,229, dated July 11, 1893.

Application filed January 31, 1893. Serial No. 460,423. (No model.)

To wZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known thatI, HENRY MASON, a chief engineer in the United States Navy, residing at Plymouth, in the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pockets for Garments and other Articles, which invention is fully set forth and illustrated in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to make a safety pocket for garments and other purposes, which will prevent the removal of its contents until the pocket is opened by a lever or some operative handle.

The invention will first be described in detail and then particularly set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in front elevation my garment-pocket, in a closed position, as adapted for attachment to a waistcoat pocket, part of the waistcoat being broken away to show the location of the device. Fig. 2 shows the pocket in front elevation detached and opened. Fig. 3 is a back View of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side-view of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 illustrates a detail of construction hereinafter described.

In said figures the several parts are respectively indicated by numbers as follows:

The number 1 indicates a plate or frame to which all the parts are secured and which may be fastened to the vest 2, or other garment, by clasps, wire, or thread 3. Said plate is provided with a vertical slot t in which slides a rod 5, suitably bent, as shown in Fig. 3, to retain it within said slot. One end of said rod is formed, in front of the plate 1, into a hook 6, the other end being formed, behind said plate, into a hook 7. Connected to the hook 7 is the shorter arm of a bell-crank-lever 8, which lever-has its fulcrum at the point 9, on which it vibrates or oscillates as on a center. The longer arm of said bell-cranklever, passes upward at the back of the plate 1 under a spring-rod 10, secured to said plate and provided with a notch or offset-catch 11, as shown in plan in Fig. 5.

Connected to the lower portion of the plate 1, at the point 12, is a wire 13 which passes from said point diagonally upward in front of said plate, then downward through the hooked-end 6 of the sliding rod 5, then through holes 14 at the bottom of the plate 1, then upward through the hooked-end 6 of the rod 5 and thence downward to the point 15 where the other end of said wire 13 is connected to the plate 1. Said wire is given an outward curve as shown in Fig. 4 and forms a pair of lock-jaws 16 to which may be attached in any suitable manner a bag 17 of kid or chamois leather into which the articles desired to be kept in the pocket are deposited. Said bag, shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and its position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, is suspended between the front and rear portions of the wire 13, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. It is obvious that the jaws 16, instead of being formed from a single piece of wire may be formed of two or more pieces of metal, without departing from my invention.

The operation of the device is as follows: The plate 1 with its attached parts having been secured to the garment, the mouth of the bag 17 is opened by moving over the lever 8 until it is retained by the catch 11 on the spring-rod 10, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The desired article, such as a watch, is then deposited in the bag 17 and the lever 8 released from the catch 11. Said lever will immediately spring back to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and the jaws 16 will be automatically closed as shown in Fig. 1, thus rendering impossible'the removal of the watch or other article deposited in the bag 17, by-the closing of the mouth of said bag. As the point of intersection or crossing of the wire 13 is movable, any attempt to pull the article from the bag 17 will only tend to more tightly close the jaws 16 by the pressure within the pocket of said article against the jaws. When the wearer of this pocket desires to remove the article he moves the lever 8 into engagement with the stop 11, thus opening the jaws 16 and permitting the removal of the article.

This attachment may be applied to the pocket already formed in a garment, or may be substituted for the pocket lining by attachment to the garment so that the bag 17 will take the place of a pocket within the usual opening in the garment made for the purpose of forming the mouth of the pocket.

The attachment is applicable to a bag as well as to a garment-pocket.

It is evident that it is only necessary to impart reciprocating motion to the rod 5 or to an equivalent sliding attachment to operate the lock-jaws 16, and such reciprocating motion may be imparted by any convenient handle or attachment, Without departing from my invention. But I prefer to use for operating the jaws, a bell-crank-lever, such as shown, and the rod 5, as an efiicient, light and neat device.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim 1. In a safety-pocket for garments and other articles, the combination of a metal plate, locking-jaws secured to said plate, a sliding attachment substantially as described for said jaws, and a flexible bag secured to said jaws; whereby the jaws, when closed, close the mouth of said bag and are opened by the movement of said attachment, substantially as set forth.

2. In asafety-pocket for garments and other articles, the combination of a metal plate, locking-jaws secured to said-plate, a sliding attachment substantially as described for said jaws, a flexible bag secured to said jaws, and a catch; whereby the jaws, when closed, close the mouth of said bag and are opened and held open by said attachment, substantially as set forth.

3. In a safety-pocket, for garments and other articles, the combination of a metal plate, locking-jaws secured to said plate, a sliding rod connected to said jaws, alever connected to said rod, and a catch for said lever.

4C. In a safety-pocket for garments and other articles, the combination of a metal plate, locking-jaws secured to said plate, a sliding rod connected to said jaws, a lever connected to said rod, and a bar provided with a catch for said lever.

5. In a safety-pocket for garments and other articles, the combination of the following named parts: a plate or frame provided with a slot; a rod sliding in said slot; locking-jaws connected to said rod; abell-crank-lever also connected to said rod; and a bar provided with a catch for said lever.

HENRY MASON.

Witnesses:

GEORGE LANGDON, AARON P. FENN. 

